A proposal to change the date the state holds its presidential preferential primary sailed out of the Louisiana House
last week with little discussion on an 83-0 vote, and now heads to the
Senate Committee on Senate and Governmental Affairs for more debate.

View full sizeJohn McCusker, The Times-Picayune archiveJohn Hecker walks to a voting machine to cast his ballot in Terrytown on Oct. 2.

If
House Bill 509 by Reps. Nita Hutter, R-Chalmette, and Alan Seabaugh,
R-Shreveport, becomes law the state's presidential primary will be held
on the first Saturday following the first Tuesday in March. The primary
now is held on the second or third Saturday in February, depending on
the Carnival parade calendar.

Backers of the bill said the change
is needed to comply with Democratic and Republican Party guidelines
that would cost a state half its delegates to the parties' national
conventions if they are held in February. Four states can hold primaries
or caucuses that early: South Carolina, Nevada, Iowa and New Hampshire.
The bill isn't expected to run into serious problems in the Senate
committee.